The new rates of UK Landfill taxation rates from the 1st April 2017 are;

Standard rate – £86.10

Lower rate – £2.70

OK, so this modest increase in landfill tax is not really a deduction but if your have perfectly recyclable Non-Hazardous contaminated soils then the reality is that you will only have to pay the lower rate of LFT, so it is in reality a deduction in what you should really be paying.

We all know that this is counter productive to achieving the Scottish Zero Waste Plan but as SEPA are the promoters of this position (see post –Is landfill the new solution to pollution – SEPA think so) then any recycling of soils to divert waste away from landfill to restore the tens of thousands of derelict land is not going to happen until they see sense. Which, given recent discussions with them will not be for a very long time as their budgets were cut and so they’re trying to reduce their workload…!

Long live ‘dig and dump’…!

Anyone got a lorry we can hire…?

Guide to soil classification and disposal options

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If you live on or near contaminated land and/or own some, then the answer is most likely to be a resounding ‘yes’. Finding out if you are at risk is another matter, however if you know it is contaminated then assessment work will most likely have already been carried out and therefore the risks should be known.

Some of the tangible issues of living on contaminated land can be-

risk to health from contact with the soil (e.g. kids playing on the soil, and gardening)

risk to health from consumption of soil (e.g. soil on veg grown in the gardens, inhalation of dust)

risk to health from inhalation of vapours produced by the soil (e.g. inside houses built on contaminated land)

There are many other potential risks including those to the environment, the list above is focused on the main issues which are likely to affect people living on the land. If you are responsible for the land, then the cost of the cleaning the land up is something to bare in mind.

It is reasonably safe to assume that your property hasn’t been built on contaminated land as regulations are in place to help prevent this happening. Click here to read more about the regulations.

Sites can however become contaminated as a result of direct contamination e.g. fuel spills, or in-directly from contaminants moving through the ground from other sites such as industrial sites.

If you’re unsure then a good place to start is with a Phase 1 study, read more on them here.

As always we’re here to help if you have any questions, feel free to contact us on 0131 538 8456 or drop us an e-mail.

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An odd little piece of information came up the other day which happens to coincide with a few of the things we’re currently dealing with in the office. Rhododendron Ponticum contains poisons which discourage grazing animals from feeding on them, this is fairly widely known and just another reason why Rhododendrons have to be controlled and another thing which makes the plant difficult to control.

This doesn’t usually affect humans because humans would never try to eat Rhododendrons but humans do eat honey. The toxins are present in the nectar of the plant and Bees which draw a significant proportion of the nectar they collect from Rhododendrons can manage to produce poisonous honey.

The toxins in question are called Grayanotoxins and consumption of sufficient quantities can result in cardiac problems and even death while lower doses will result in excessive salivation, perspiration, vomiting, dizziness, weakness and paresthesia (pins and needles) in the extremities and around the mouth, low blood pressure and sinus bradycardia (reduced heart rate). Looking on the bright side the condition is rarely fatal and generally abates within a day without medical intervention, but it’s still not going to be a fun experience.

It is very rare for toxic levels to make it into honey particularly in commercially produced honey however there are historical records of it being deliberately produced in Turkey going back to 400 BC when hives or sections of comb (depending on which version you believe) loaded with toxic honey were left in convenient locations to be discovered by hungry soldiers and poison invading armies. Latterly in the 1700s this Mad Honey was sold into Europe where it was added to alcoholic drinks to give them some added kick.

John has been learning about bee keeping recently for an upcoming project and we’ve been removing a lot of rhododendrons which is how we stumbled onto this fact. So now we, and you, know not to site bee hives in the middle of large areas of Rhododendron Ponticum. Okay so this is probably not the most readily applicable advice for everyday life but interesting nonetheless.

Guide to Rhododendron

This free guide will help you learn about Rhododendron and how to treat it in the simplest terms. Download it now for free!